TV guide: 13 of the best new shows to watch this week

Cúltír

Sunday, TG4, 9.30pm

We’re in Tipperary for this latest episode in the musical odyssey around Ireland, in the good company of singer Pauline Scanlon and violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain. And there’s a musical feast in store in Tipp, starting in Nenagh, where comedian Pat Shortt shows his sax-playing skills in a session with Mike Hanrahan. Scanlon teams up with Eilish Hassett for a rendition of The Galtee Mountain Boy, and Aoife meets Gemma Hayes, originally from Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary, who explains how her home county has influenced her music.

KaDeWe: Our Time is Now

Sunday, RTÉ2, 11.25pm

This elegant but hard-hitting drama series is set in Berlin in the 1920s, in a febrile time when social divisions were high, and the seeds were sown for the rise of nazism. The story centres on the glitzy department store Kaufhaus des Westens (KaDeWe), focusing on four friends who are in search of self-fulfilment. Among them is Fritzi Jandorf, daughter of the shop’s Jewish owners, who has great plans for modernising the store, but also has a huge crush on shop assistant Heidi Kron.

Rose of Tralee 2023

Monday, RTÉ One, 8pm

As summer comes to an end, it’s time once again for the Roses to bloom, and 32 finalists from Ireland and around the world will compete over two nights to be crowned the 2023 Rose in the festival dome in Tralee. But first they have to go through the gruelling interview process in the company of chief inquisitor Dáithí Ó Sé and new co-host Kathryn Thomas, and put their best foot forward to convince the judges that they can rise above the other Roses. We’re promised much craic, chat and a few party pieces, with a break for the Nine News, and wherever you are in the world, you can watch it live for free on the RTÉ Player.

Tommy Jessop Goes to Hollywood

Monday, BBC One, 9pm

Tom Cruise, Daniel Craig, Liam Neeson ... and Tommy Jessop. Meet Hollywood’s latest action hero, a man with a unique set of skills that could set the movie world alight, if only the big studios would give him a chance. Tommy Jessop wants to prove that having Down syndrome is no barrier to becoming a movie superhero, so he enlists his brother, film-maker Will Jessop, to help him pitch his idea for Roger the Superhero (named after his teddy bear) to the bigshots in the movie biz. This documentary follows Tommy as he sets out for Tinseltown and gets to meet the likes of Kit Harington, Will Sharpe and Neve Campbell along the way.

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Rose of Tralee 2023

Tuesday, RTÉ One, 9.35pm

It’s the final night of the festival in Co Kerry, and now it’s time for the judges to make their minds up and pick a Rose out of the 32 finalists. Hosts Dáithí Ó Sé and Kathryn Thomas conduct the last of the interviews with the Roses, while the punters have enjoyed a five-day feast of street entertainment, outdoor gigs, circus, street markets, funfair and fireworks. Whoever finally gets crowned Rose of Tralee 2023, a sure winner will be Kerry tourism, as the event showcases the best the Kingdom has to offer.

8 Bar – The Evolution of Grime

Tuesday, BBC Four, 10pm

Here’s a chance to catch Ewen Spencer’s vibrant documentary tracking the rise of grime, the sound that has come to define urban Britain in the 21st century. The film features first-person accounts from some of the leading lights of the genre, including Dizzee Rascal, as well as lesser-known movers and shakers such as DJ Slimzee, and the back-room boyz and girlz who helped bring grime from the shadows of austerity and racism to worldwide recognition.

Ahsoka

From Wednesday, Disney+

Our kids have turned into Jedi junkies, waiting with fevered anticipation for the latest Stars Wars spin-off series to arrive. Doesn’t matter that the plots are the same – a new evil is emerging in the galaxy, and only (insert made-up name here) can stop it – what matters is they’re getting their annual fix of the Force, and getting to spend time in that lovely galaxy far away. Rosario Dawson stars as the ex-Jedi knight with the snaky pigtails, and the series is set after the fall of the Empire – but don’t worry: there’s another nasty lot in black helmets ready to take up the lightsaber on behalf of their dark leader.

Never Mind the Buzzcocks

Wednesday, Sky Max and Now, 9pm

Think you know your music trivia? The top pop quizshow is back for a third series with Greg Davies in the quizmaster’s chair, and team captains Noel Fielding and Daisy-May Cooper leading their celebrity crew of musical brainiacs, with regular guest Jamali Maddix nicely in the mix. Once again it’s time to pit your pop knowledge against some of the biggest names in pop history, in a series of hilarious quick-fire rounds that will sorely test your musical knowledge and your ability to keep a straight face.

The Duchess and Her Magical Kingdom

Wednesday, More4, 9pm

Ralph and Jane Percy, the duke and duchess of Northumberland, live in Alnwick Castle, the second-largest inhabited castle in England. It’s been called “the Windsor of the North”, and this programme follows the duchess as she embarks on a big project to create a make-believe village called Lilidorei on the grounds of the estate, featuring fairy grottoes, goblin lairs and other phantasmagorical delights. It might sound like an airy-fairy idea, but it’s no surprise to learn that Alnwick Castle and its gardens have been used as locations for Downton Abbey and the Harry Potter series.

Keep it a Secret

Thursday, RTÉ One, 10.10pm

In 1972, at the height of the Troubles, a group of pioneering surfers took a huge risk and hosted the Eurosurf Championship, at a time when international sporting events were giving Ireland a wide berth. The surfers, from Dublin and Belfast, defied political and social divisions to come together and share their passion for surfing, and found that their surfboards provided an escape route from the violence and hatred that tore lives and communities apart. This documentary looks back at the dawn of surfing in Ireland, combining archive footage with contemporary interviews and stunning immersive cinematography.

Tukdam: The Point of Death

Thursday, RTÉ One, 11.15pm

Okay, don’t get creeped out, but tukdam is the Tibetan art of being dead while still apparently alive and conscious. It’s practised by Tibetan Buddhist monks, who, when they reach the end of their lives, go into a deep meditative state that blurs the boundary between life and death. Though clinically dead, they may remain sitting upright for days, even weeks, their bodies showing no outward signs of decay, but looking fresh and lifelike, as if they could just open their eyes any minute. Scary. This documentary blends cutting-edge scientific research with Tibetan mysticism to try to unravel the mystery.

Nish Kumar: Your Power, Your Control

Friday, Sky Comedy and Now, 9pm

These past few years have seen unprecedented chaos and upheaval around the globe, from the Capitol riots to Covid to climate disaster to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but somehow comedian and TV personality Nish Kumar manages to take it all personally. This is Kumar’s first stand-up TV special, based on his recent series of live shows, and sees him ramping up his sharp, political humour and moving seamlessly from outraged to outrageously funny.

The Reunion

Friday, UTV, 9pm

Adapted from the best-selling French novel by Guillaume Musso, this six-part drama set in the French Riviera features an international cast that includes Ioan Gruffudd, Dervla Kirwan and Rupert Graves. A high-school reunion brings three friends who have lost touch back together, but they are bound by a dark secret involving the disappearance of a girl 25 years ago. In episode four, Thomas and Max are trying to process their latest discovery, while Annabelle reveals she knew more than she was letting on.